This invention relates to portable cutters for cutting sealing washers of the type used for sealing spliced telecommunication cables together.
In the telecommunications field, cables are often spliced together at various points and are enclosed within a sealed closure to protect the spliced connections from moisture, dirt, and other environmental contaminants. The typical cable closure is cylindrical in shape and secured with flat sealing washers having circular openings through which the telecommunication cables are inserted and passed into the closure. In practice, the cables are of various diameters which require matching circular openings in the sealing washers to center the cables within the closure as well as seal the ends of the closure. Accordingly, the flat sealing washers are provided with an outside diameter adapted to interconnect and seal the outer periphery of the closure and an interior cut-out diameter essentially equal to the diameter of the spliced telecommunications cable which is inserted through the sealing washer and plates of the closure.
Prior to the present invention, U.S. patents disclosed splice cutters for such cable, for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,385; also rotary cutters for cutting a sheet into circular form or cutting holes of various sizes in sheet material were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,893, 4,426,781, 3,621,574, 4,548,118, 4,173,913. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,299,688 a washer cutter is shown having a C-shaped standard consisting of a flat base and an upper arm spaced therefrom by a substantially vertical stanchion, the upper arm being parallel with the base and having a spindle disposed therethrough, a handle is carried by the upper end of the spindle and a transverse bar is carried by a downwardly extending end of the spindle, the bar being adjustable longitudinally and carrying a pair of cutters disposed at an angle to the face of a table placed on the base upon which material is seated from which washers are cut. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,194 a similar C-shaped standard is shown for making circular cuts in sheet material which has substantially planar base to support the material, a lever or knob being mounted on the upper end of a shaft for rotating the same, a cutter assembly being carried on the lower end of the shaft which has an elongated member carrying the triangular cutter which can be disposed at a plurality of radial positions from the vertical axis of the shaft.
Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,824 discloses a C-shaped standard carrying a rotatable shaft, a transverse bar which is a blade carrying member which slides through an opening in the shaft in a radial direction, a base platform or table opposite to one end of the shaft for supporting a sealing washer blank, the blade adapted to be placed in a desired position to cut a central opening in the blank.
The structure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,824 involves the use of an upright standard which is awkward to handle at the cable closure location where the repair person ascertains the diameter of the cable and where the sealing washer is cut to provide an opening of proper size for accomodating of the cable end plates.
It now has been found that a hand held portable washer cutter can be easily and efficiently operated in the field to cut flat washer blanks for use in sealing closures for enclosing spliced connections in multiconductor or telecommunication cables. The portable washer cutter of this invention comprises a pair of saucer shaped enclosures adapted to interconnect together and operative to cut a central cut-out in a flat washer blank supported within the cutter enclosures. One enclosure supports the flat washer blank while the other enclosure contains a depending cutting means adapted to progressively cut into the washer blank by rotating the upper enclosure relative to the lower enclosure. The one said enclosure preferably is fitted with a center post adapted to engage a socket centered and secured within the other said enclosure whereby the said enclosures can be progressively tightened together with each clockwise rotation of the upper enclosure relative to the lower enclosure. As the enclosures are tightened together, the cutting means cuts further into the flat washer blank until a center hole or cut-out is cut through the flat washer blank. The outer surfaces of the enclosures can be specifically formed with peripheral indentations to provide finger gripping means to facilitate gripping each enclosure while rotating the same in accordance with this invention. The hand held portable washer cutter is simple in construction, easy to manufacture, and can be expediently and efficiently used in the field to accurately cut central cut-outs, from flat washer blanks. These and other advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the drawings and detailed description of this invention.